The Truth
by mysticalflute
Summary: What if Emma didn't lie to Henry in "True North"? Warning: Spoilers for "Manhattan".
1. Chapter 1

"Can you… tell me about my dad?"

It was the question Emma Swan had been dreading when she'd decided to become a permanent resident of Storybrooke, Maine, with her biological son Henry. Henry's birth father had no idea Henry existed, and Emma didn't want him to know. Emma didn't want Henry to know anything about the man, or what they'd done before the boy's conception and her subsequent jail sentence… the thing that led her to give him up for adoption.

She looked down at him, oh God he looked so much like Neal. Dark hair, dark eyes… but her chin. He had her chin.

She wanted to lie so badly, to protect herself against those memories of Neal, good memories, until that night in Portland when she was arrested, unknowingly pregnant.

But she knew Henry had been lied to by Regina. He'd been hurt, obviously, by Regina, even if Emma didn't exactly believe in what he was saying about fairytales and curses. She was going along with it, to make Henry happy.

Lying to him would only hurt him, and that was the last thing Emma wanted.

So, Emma took a deep breath, looking at Henry as he ate his pumpkin pie while sitting in the backseat of the cruiser. "Okay," she whispered. "I'll tell you about him… but you have to promise me something Henry."

He looked up at her, questioning her. "What is it, Emma?"

"You don't tell _anyone_ about what I said."

His eyes went wide, and she knew he understood this probably wasn't going to be very pleasant. Even so, he nodded, his curiosity getting the better of him. Just like Neal and herself.

He settled into the backseat when Emma leaned against the car, looking at him with sad eyes.

"Your father and I met in Portland… we were both on the streets having to do… whatever we could to survive." The whole 'I stole a car your dad stole' wouldn't be that important. "He and I were both thieves, and… we decided to stay together. You know, strength in numbers."

Henry nodded, understanding.

She smiled a little. "We had a lot of fun, stealing bits of food we could from gas stations, breaking into hotel rooms to shower and sleep… and your Dad told me about dream catchers. How they can remove your bad dreams." Emma smiled and ruffled his hair. This part of the story she didn't mind telling him. That was her happiest memory with Neal. "Then, your dad had a map of the United States, and we were both ready to give up the, as he put it, 'Bonnie and Clyde' act. So he had me point to a place on the map, and I chose Tallahassee as the place where we would have started over."

Henry had stopped eating, a small smile on his face at the thought of his parents stopping their life of petty crimes.

"So… a couple of months later, I found out that he was wanted in Arizona… for stealing watches. Twenty-thousand dollars worth of watches," she explained, suddenly finding interest in the zipper on her jacket.

Henry stared at her again. "Then what…?" he asked.

"I… I offered to get the watches from a train station locker, and he was going to sell them, so we could get the cash and go to Vancouver and start over… before going to Tallahassee."

She sighed, bending over to get in the car as Henry slid over to give her room, she shut the door, wanting complete privacy. "Only then… I-I was caught by the police because your dad gave me one to wear. He framed me, the officer said. He called in that I had one of the stolen watches. So they carted me off to jail, and I got an eleven month sentence… and I found out I was pregnant with you while there. I wanted to keep you so badly Henry, because it was a piece of him that I didn't know if I would ever have again, but… I was eighteen, in jail, and I didn't have any money or support systems so I… I thought giving you up would be the best…"

By this point, Henry had set the pumpkin pie down on the empty spot next to him. When Emma finished her story, his arms found their way around her waist, holding her tight. Tears stung her eyes.

"I love you Henry," she whispered, kissing his head.

Something happened. A light rippled through the town, coming from she and Henry. The boy's eyes widened, his head lifted from Emma's side as they exchanged the same look.

"What just happened Henry?" she whispered, opening the door, both of them scrambling out of the car.

Henry looked around, noticing Archie out of his office.

"The curse…" he whispered. "I-I think you broke it."

Emma stared. "Henry, that's impossible…"

But Henry was already back in the car, grabbing for his book. "Please… how else could that thing be explained? Look at their faces?"

As much as she wanted to shrug it off to another car's headlights… that whatever-it-was, felt physical. So, Emma had no choice but to actually think the impossible.

Magic.

With shaking hands, she reached out for Henry's book, and she felt a wave of… something crash over her.

_Mary-Margaret and David holding her._

_David putting her in the wardrobe._

She gasped, her hand withdrawing from the book as if it was on fire.

"Oh my God…" she whispered. "Oh my God Henry…"

Her son's face twisted with glee. "You believe!"

"Yeah Henry… I believe."

But oh, she wish she didn't believe. Neal, her damn lover, Henry's damn father, was Rumpelstiltskin… Mr. Gold's _son._

She could only stare at Neal as he got into it with his father.

"You two know each other."

She couldn't help it. "No we-"

"You are lying!" Gold said, glaring at Emma.

"Mom?"

_Shit._

Henry entered the room, his eyes wide as he made his way over to her. "What's going on? Why is everyone yelling?" he looked at Neal. "Is that Baelfire?"

She saw Neal's look, and her heart sank. But she wouldn't give up, not yet.

"Hey, kid, listen… this is private so I need you to go in the other room for a little longer, alright? C'mon…" she said, Henry going with her easily.

"Who is he?"

"My son," she replied, not even looking at Neal.

"Hey kid, how old are you?"

"Don't answer him Henry," she said, grip tightening.

But Neal… Baelfire… whatever the hell his name was, didn't give up, and Henry finally had enough.

"ELEVEN!" he shouted, and Emma knew it was over.

Neal stared at Henry, then up at Emma.

"Is this my son?"

She said nothing.

"Is he mine, Emma?"

Silence.

"…Mom?" Henry asked, staring at her.

Tears stung her eyes as she took Henry's face in her hands.

"_Yes._"

Neal let out a choked sound, hands in front of his mouth as he breathed heavily. Henry turned away from her, still shocked, but not angry… at least, at her.

"You left her," he said, looking at Neal.

"I-I didn't know…" Neal stuttered. "If… if I would have known I wouldn't have…"

Henry shook his head, clearly disappointed, before climbing onto the fire escape. Emma gave Neal a short glare, before following him.

"Henry…"

* * *

_Alright, so this was just a quick little thing that I was inspired by while watching "Manhattan". I might add another chapter of Neal talking to Henry, but I might hold off on that until I see "The Queen is Dead" to see if there's a scene with Neal and Henry in it._


	2. Coward

She stood on the fire escape, her son sitting on one of the steps that led to another apartment. Henry was gazing off into the distance, looking at the view.

"So. That's my dad," he said.

All Emma could do was nod.

"I'm Rumpelstiltskin's grandson."

Emma nodded. "Yeah. You're Rumpelstiltskin's grandson."

Henry curled his knees under his chin, and Emma wondered how he could do that on a small stair.

Emma sat on the step underneath him, looking up at him, not knowing what to say. She'd told him the truth about Neal, and now Henry knew him…

"So… what's bothering you about this?" she asked.

"Everything," Henry replied. "But mostly the thought that… if he hadn't left you… you could have raised me, and we all would have been happy."

Her heart ached, deeply for Henry. Since she'd realized that she loved her son when he returned to her, she'd been thinking about it. She would give anything for a second chance with Henry, to be able to raised him.

"But Henry… if I'd raised you… would I have been able to break the curse in Storybrooke? The only reason I went there was because of you," she said, taking his hand.

"That's the thing with fate, or destiny… it happens no matter what. We would have wound up in Storybrooke no matter what… and maybe I wouldn't have eaten that tart Regina meant for you… and I wouldn't have been hurt by those nightmares while you were gone," Henry said, looking at her. His face was contorted in pain.

"Oh Henry…" she murmured, wrapping her arms around him, sitting next to him on the step. "I know. I think about those situations every day. If I'd been able to raise you, how happy I would have been during those eleven years away from Neal… because I would have had you, and not just that keychain."

Henry's arms were tight around her waist, reminding her of the day she and Mary – her mother managed to get back to Storybrooke from the Enchanted Forest.

She rubbed his back, feeling something wet on her jacket.

Henry was crying.

"Oh kid…" she whispered, kissing the top of his head. "Please don't cry…"

She closed her eyes, trying to fight back her own tears as Henry sniffled, attempting to stop crying.

"Henry… I would do anything to make you happy," she told him. "What is it you want most in the world?"

Henry looked up at her, biting his lip. "Well…" he started, rubbing his eyes. "I want to live with you, and Snow and Charming…"

Emma was confused. He was already living with them.

"What do you – "

"In Fairytale Land."

Oh.

Emma stroked his hair, imagining that he was a toddler, picturing her second chance. She imagined herself in a gown – having been able to be raised by Snow and Charming (as much as she detested dresses). They were there, a happy family, living the life they should have if Regina hadn't been so awful and ruined it.

"If there is a way back there Henry… I will go wherever you want me to go."

He looked up at her. "You mean it?"

Emma nodded, holding him tight. "Of course I mean it. I would never, ever break your heart Henry."

Giving up everything she knew here, for a magical, mysterious world in the Enchanted Forest would be difficult if they ever found a way back, but if it made Henry happy, she would gladly sacrifice it.

Henry smiled at her, before looking back toward the apartment. "Can I… talk to him?"

"To your – your father?"

Henry nodded.

Emma sighed a little, not wanting him to do so, but she knew she couldn't stop him from talking to Neal now that they were here.

"Okay," Emma said. "I'll go get him."

Henry nodded, going silent again.

Emma squeezed his shoulder, looking at him. "Just… try not to be too hard on him, alright?"

Henry stared at her. "But he hurt you."

"I know… I know that, and he abandoned us… but right now, we're all going through a huge transition, so… we're going to have to be…" how did she put it? "…careful around each other now. Do you understand?"

Henry nodded. "Okay."

Emma smiled a little, ruffling his hair. "I'll get him then."

She stood, going back inside Neal's apartment, finding the awkward silence between he and his father had not yet been broken.

"Henry wants to talk to you," she said.

Neal looked at Emma as she walked back in from talking to their son.

_Son._

He had a son. One he'd abandoned out of fear.

Just like his own father.

Oh God.

He was just like his father. A coward.

"He wants to talk to me?" he asked, finally finding his voice as he looked at Emma. Why would his son want to talk to him after what he'd done?

Emma nodded. "Just… don't break his heart."

"I won't."

Taking a deep breath, Neal crawled out the window, making his way to the boy who looked way too much like him for him to be able to stand. God he felt awful about leaving Emma and their son alone.

"Hi," the boy said.

Neal let out a sigh. "Hi… son," he said.

Henry looked at him. Neal didn't know how to read the look at all. He supposed if he'd been with Emma, raising him, he would know what the look meant.

"Emma did… a good job raising you so far," Neal said.

The boy frowned – Neal understood that look. That wasn't good.

"Emma didn't raise me. She gave me up for adoption."

The words felt like a punch in the gut. Why would Emma do that? Did she really hate him that much that she would give up their child for adoption? He didn't understand. He gave her the money from the watches… that should have been enough to at least get started on a normal life. Did she hate him that much that she would just get rid of everything that once symbolized what they were?

But no, she'd kept the keychain. Surely she would have kept their _child._

"Oh…" Neal said, releasing a shaky breath. "I'm sorry."

"You should be."

They went quiet again for a few moments, and eventually, Neal spoke. "Emma said you wanted to talk to me… what's up?"

"Why did you leave us?"

Neal sighed. It was hard enough explaining it to the adult. God only knew how his child would react.

"I'm assuming you know about this… curse, about Emma's 'duty'?" Neal said, looking at Henry.

Henry nodded.

Of course he did. Why would fate make this easy for Neal?

"Well… there was this man in Portland… he came up to me, he knew who I was… and he told me that I had to let her go, so she could fulfill her destiny and break the curse," Neal said, leaning against the staircase where his son sat. "I thought her breaking the curse would send all of them back, so I wouldn't have to see my father."

"But then you wouldn't know me."

That hurt.

Neal sighed. "I know."

"And if you hadn't left Emma, I wouldn't have been raised by the Evil Queen."

Neal frowned. "Who?"

"From _Snow White._ She's the one who cast the curse. She's the one that adopted me."

Neal stared. So all of those stories were true too? Well, of course they were… they had to come from somewhere.

"I'm so sorry Henry… I never thought I would see Emma again and I… I thought it would have been the best at the time."

"You still left us."

"I know kid. I know. I was just so afraid of running into my father again that I-"

"You're a coward."

Neal opened his mouth to protest, but he knew he couldn't. The truth was, Henry was right. All he had been doing was running and hiding, praying he wouldn't have to run into Rumpelstiltskin again.

He had listened to August, because he knew that when a curse was involved, so was his father, and he didn't want to see his father.

Just like his father had been too cowardly to give up magic in their home world.


End file.
